Understanding Jesus' words and other dialogue

Here is another quick thought where I'm going to point you all in a direction but not go through extensive scripture citation.

When one reads the scripture, specifically the Gospels and the writings of the Apostles, one realizes that Jesus and the disciples frequently quote from and reference the Biblical writings of the prophets. These writings are what Christians call the Old Testament of the Bible today. The Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament) were deeply studied by pious Jews of the time of Christ, of course. The Gospel tells how the scholars at the Temple admired and were astonished by the knowledge of the young boy Jesus.

Most Christians when asked to name an example of Jesus citing scripture would think of the famous exchange between Jesus as he fasted in the desert before commencing his public ministry and Satan, who tried to tempt Jesus away from his mission. This is recounted in Matthew 4:1-11.

Here is the point that I'm going to make for you to consider.

Whenever anyone "cites scripture" (to use a modern expression that everyone takes for granted these days) they did not do it with the technique or attitude that people utilize today. Today people having "dueling scripture" mentality that is based upon "knowing where to look for 'the answer' in the Bible" and thus they center upon (somewhat pridefully) citing the "numbers" (book, chapter and verse). No one, not Jesus, not the Apostles, nor Satan himself, did that during Biblical times. No one said, "If you look in scroll number four and read the tenth sentence it says etc etc etc." People simply said "It is written that..."

Then the devil took him into the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If thou art the Son of God, throw thyself down; for it is written 'He will give his angels charge concerning thee; and upon their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "It is written further, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God'" Matthew 4:5-7.

Read for yourselves any place in the New Testament where scripture is cited and you will see that no one gave reference points, such as the book's name, the chapter or the verse, and virtually all used the unchallenged opening phrase to their quotation "it is written."

Why is this important and why am I pointing this out tonight in this blog entry?

I've repeatedly advised my readers that one cannot understand God's words, whether in the Bible or the Qur'an, unless one understands the context of the times. Most people could not read or write and the word of God was an oral experience for them, as God's word was given to the people by the priests, and learned verbally from scholars and family members. No one had the mindset that they had to "prove it is 'in the Bible'" by citing chapter and verse (or scroll or line). So Satan cites scripture and Jesus gives a counter citation, but neither says to the other (duh) "where does it say that in the Bible?" The Bible, of course, did not exist in the chapter and verse form that Christians use today and that is my point.

If one wants a truly authentic emulation of Jesus and the disciples, one needs to read and comprehend the entire Bible, not memorize the key "trick phrases" and citations that bolster one's familiar arguments and beliefs. No one challenged each other "where does it 'say that'" back in the times of Jesus because no one would even think of incorrectly citing scripture.

In other words, authentic knowers of God's word are not "defensive" in their attitudes, as many are today.

So Satan cites scripture without even saying "where" that scripture comes from and "who said it" and about what. In return, Jesus does the same thing, citing scripture without saying who said it and "where it comes from."

Generations of Christian scholars (yep, those early church fathers, both Catholic and Orthodox) performed detailed study of the scripture and footnoting so that future generations would know who and what Jesus and the others were citing.

So if you have an annotated Bible, you can determine by reading the footnote that Satan was citing from the Book of Psalms, while Jesus replied citing Deuteronomy.

Do you understand the two points that I am trying to make? The first point is that neither Satan nor Jesus "came prepared with citations up their sleeves to have that debate." Both so well know the scripture that when the dialogue took place, each could think of the most pertinent citation to make on the spot. How many people do that today? Rather, moderns are proud that they have "pre loaded scripture" that they can cite chapter and verse for the most familiar of purposes and well worn paths of debate, rather than understanding the meaning of the entire Bible, and then drawing from it as needed on the spot, regardless of the occasion for Biblical reference. So if one really wants to be "like Jesus" or the "genuine Apostles," one would have to have mastery of the entire Bible in its content and context, not hopping around extracting and memorizing favorite useful sayings, like they are bullet points for debate cues.

The second point is the temptation that an index system (chapter and verse) provides to those who distill everything into numbers and punch lines. Whenever humans have a technological advance, there is always a plus and a minus. The plus to having written Bibles that are inexpensively printed and able to be read by all is that obviously it is the great equalizer that rich or poor, all can have God's word to have and reference. The minus is that the word of God becomes less of an atmosphere that one is verbally immersed within and becomes, simply put, another intellectual tool.

A reverse snobbery takes place. How often do you see a bumper sticker with just a citation rather than the words? For example, you'd see the above dialogue as a bumper sticker that simply says "Matthew 4:5-7." Those who are "in the know" would see that bumper sticker and recognize that the people who owned that car are citing that verse for some reason known to them. But where is the knowledge (remember, knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit, not of humans' own doing) in saying "Matthew 4:5-7?" Rather, it is tempting to be smug, inviting those who know that verse by number to see your bumper stick and think "Oh, what a great Christian I am; I know what topic they are citing." If you are really of the "texting" and LOL generation, one can say to one's friends "457" and that would be a code word for "Satan and Jesus debating" or "Jesus being tempted." Those who are snide could given themselves user names such as Brit457 and those "in the know" would realize that "Brit" is calling him or herself a tempter, or a refuter of Satan.

Humans are like huge walking slippery slopes of ice where it seems that they cannot resist any temptation to parse or to package the complex and thoughtful and meaningful into sound bytes and killer debating points and eventually smug self referential code talk.

This is why I really avoid that mindset and virtually never walk around citing scripture. I have to painfully look up in the Bible every time I cite scripture (even the ones I often blog about) since my mind just refuses to think of the Bible as a series of numbered "points" to make.

All of you need to realize that it is "not Biblical" to cite scripture in a numeric, catchphrase, or "prove it to me" type of way. People (even Satan) were expected to know the fullness of scripture and then ad hoc state "it is written" a truthful statement or paraphrasing from the scripture, without even "showing off" who said it in the first place. I mean, in Matthew 4:5-7, Jesus is citing GOD, but Jesus himself does not say to Satan, "Well, God himself said the following on the fifth scroll first turning first line....." Everyone was authentic Biblical scholars at that time and it would never occur to anyone to feel they have to state exactly word for word and number by number who said what "in the Bible."

Jesus said to him, "It is written further, 'Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God'" (Matthew 4:7)

Jesus is "citing" the following:

"You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test, as you did at Massa" (Deuteronomy 6:16).

Suppose that debate was taking place today? Can you not well imagine certain Christians who would (in playing Satan's part) reply to Jesus:

1. Where does it say that? Cite me the book, chapter and verse.
2. You did not quote correctly, so your knowledge of scripture is imperfect.
3. Hmm, well, so God did say that, but he is referring to a specific form of putting God to the test (as at Massa). Doesn't that mean that other forms of testing God are "OK?" I mean, wouldn't God have SAID in "any way" if he meant in any way?
4. Boy Jesus, you sure missed the point of what God was saying. I bet you could not even find Massa on a map.

I wish I was joking or being droll but I am not.

Likewise, Jesus did not "correct" Satan's citation of scripture, as Jesus knows full well what Satan is citing and its context and pertinence.

'He will give his angels charge concerning thee; and upon their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone' (Matthew 4:6).

For to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon (Psalms 90:11-13).

Jesus could have said:

1. Hey Satan, always cite what book, chapter and verse, because otherwise we don't know if "God really said that."
2. Satan, you miss the point. That foot on stone thing is just one example of how God will guard me in "all" "ways." So why are you picking out one of the examples in Psalms 90 to test me with? Why not have me step on a few snakes too, etc.

Isn't that ridiculous, if either had challenged the other in those ways? Yet, be honest. Aren't SOME of you reading this going to yourself, "Oh, hey, that would be a 'good point' if either Satan or Jesus challenged the 'validity of the citation.'"

How foolish and near sighted are the moderns of today, even those who have genuine faith in their hearts.

This is why I taught this particular lesson tonight, so that you meet and recognize your danger of being easily tempted head on. All I had to do was play upon the anal compulsive and "making the point" usage of God's scripture as a play ground for word smiths, numerologists and yes even the obsessive compulsive (or their opposite, the sloppy) faithful and you see how easily the refuting of Satan by Jesus would have been ruined if it was put in modern "standards" and the all too common vernacular.

Admit it. If Jesus was standing in front of you and "cited scripture" and one or two of the words varied from what you had in your hands printed in "your" version of the Bible, a seed of doubt about Jesus would be planted in your heart.

It is for that reason that Jesus came when he did in the times that he did, when people were verbal and filled with the spirit of context, not of word smithing and argumentative, defensive "superiority." That is why people said "it is written" because people were getting the accurate message of God across to each other, but not measuring accuracy by ridiculous word plays and number games. Jesus knew that Satan knew that Satan was citing just one example of how God would be "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust" (Psalms 90:2) so a "gotcha" moment would be pointless since the point was not to parrot words, but to try to apply scripture to a challenge to Jesus. Likewise Satan did not challenge Jesus that "the prohibition against testing only applies to Massa" because obviously Satan knows that God was forbidding all testing of him, and only mentioning "Massa" so that the people would keep that specific chastisement fresh in their memories.

People: you cannot evangelize nor bolster your own faith and the faith of others if you are using "gotcha" techniques in your day to day discourse and even your fundamental understanding of God's word in scripture. There is a profound difference between being accurate and anal (pardon my being so indelicate but the modern vernacular among the young has changed so much that I can't convey the message without using their common lingo). Likewise there is a profound difference between knowing God's entire word and his context and having preloaded favorite scripture debating points.

I hope that you have found this helpful.


Another example.....(extra credit, LOL)

And Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, 'Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people' (Acts 23:5).

Paul is referencing:

"You shall not revile God, nor curse a prince of your people" (Exodus 22:27).

Another way to read the Bible

I blogged an example of how to do this a while back, but it is worth mentioning, because this method is really enjoyable and makes the Bible even more three dimensional, interesting and educational.

My New Standard Bible from 1955 has a wonderful Alphabetical and Cyclopedic (topics) Index. Just leafing through the index is very interesting. For example, in the A's there are topics such "Arts and Craftsmen of the Bible" and beneath it listed all the occupations and the Bible reference, such as Bakers (Gen 40:1), Baking (Ex 16:23), Barbers (Ezek 5:1), Boat building (1 Ki 9:26), Braziers (Gen 4:22), Brickmakers (Gen 11:3), Calkers (Ezek 27:9) and so on.

Sometimes when I want to read the Bible I do so by selecting an everyday topic, and then read all of the passages that cite that topic.

For example, under "False Accusations against Christ" you can find the list: Blasphemy, Demon possession, Gluttony, Insanity, Sabbath desecration, and Treason.

But it's also interesting to look up just average everyday items. Here, for example is the listing under "Field:" Money paid for, Places of meditation, Every man sold his, Not to covet neighbor's, Ruth gleaned in, Potter's, bought, Consider lilies of, Of corn, Swine fed in, Is the world. So when I do one of these exercises I look up and read each of the entries under a topic such as field.

The one "is the world" is Matthew 13:38.

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Tares means weeds. Here is the passage in more modern language:

The field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one.

Do you notice, by the way, that Jesus uses the field as analogy for the world, because the weeds that grow there are not deliberate and spring up unpredictably among the sown seed. He would not use a "garden" therefore as an example, because a garden is closely tended and weed would not have an opportunity to grow. In those days before pesticides, mechanical cultivators, or even having enough hands to tend the fields. the weeds sprang up among the sown seed crops.

See, even the imagery that Jesus uses would have had significance to the people of the time. This is why "garden" is often used, in both the Bible but especially the Qur'an, as a description of heaven. A garden connotes (even though home gardeners might disagree!) a place that is constantly tended so only the beautiful grows. Weeds do not spring up in surprise in a heavenly garden. These agricultural and pastoral people immediately grasp the subtleties of the images Jesus uses in his parables and teachings.

So out of curiosity I look for references to "Garden" to show you the comparison. The Biblical definition of "garden" is a place that has a hedge about it. The "Field" was defined as cleared land; open expanse.

Garden: Of Eden, Of the Lord, Of Egypt, watered, Gethsemane, Symbolic of plenty, A "garden of nuts," and two references for "used for" idolatrous purpose, and place for burial.

Gardener ("one who gardens"): Adam, the first, Jesus mistaken for.

Looking a little further down the index in G you can even find the place where "Garlic" is cited in the Bible: A food in Egypt (Num 11:5).

It's like an unchained melody through the Bible. Or rather like making a daisy chain as you go along. You start reading all the Biblical references to one topic, and then it gives you an insight into not only the scripture but a better sense of life during that time.

Oh, wait, here's another cool one. "Gath" is a wine press and a Biblical city. Under Gath are eleven references in the Bible: A Philistine city, Giants left here, Ark carried to, David's deception at, Goliath of, Men of, smitten, David, refugee here, Taken by David, Fortified, Rehoboam, Uzziah broke walls, Conquered by Hazael.

Anyway, it's great to just look up any word, proper name or event concept and read all of the references to it throughout the Bible, as a break from just doing sequential or one topic reading.

One last example, looking up a quality: Piety.

Piety ("devotion, respect") Begets confidence, In old age, Lost in old age, For rulers, recommended, Inward and outward, Promotion by, Exhortation to, A maternal, A paternal, The best legacy, Hypocritical kind denounced and then there's a list of "striking examples of (piety): Enoch, Noah, Hezekiah, Josiah, Job, Obadiah, Daniel, Simeon, Anna, Barnabas, Ananias.

I like doing this with an actual Bible rather than through word searching an on line Bible. You can see that the editors have collected topics that you can be inspired by just reading down the list, and jump from one idea in the index to the next.

Oh, one more. I just saw Politeness ("polished, refined, courteous"): Manifested by Athenians, In social life, As a mask, A tender.

Now, see, if you searched on "politeness" you would not have found the tender example of it, since it is not said by name of attribute. It is Gen 43:26-29 where Joseph's brothers, still not knowing who he is, visit him and are very polite, as he is in return, hiding the tenderness in his heart. Interesting.

Anyway, I hope this stimulates even more love of the Scriptures!

Qur'an Reading Surah 3:7

Actually, before I get to the next blog posting I mentioned, let me insert here a section of the Qur'an that I was just reading this morning, thinking about how to present it to my readers as part of an instructional commentary. I find that it helps to amplify what I just wrote in the previous posting about the Muslim shared attitude toward accepting "God's will."

Surah 3:7

He it is Who has revealed the Book to you; some of its verses are decisive, they are the basis of the Book, and others are allegorical; then as for those in whose hearts there is perversity, they follow the part of it which is allegorical, seeking to mislead, and seeking to give it (their own) interpretation, but none knows its interpretations except Allah, and those who are firmly rooted in knowledge say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord; and none do mind except those having understanding.

***

This is an extremely important teaching about God for both Muslims and Christians to understand. It is saying that God gives his messages and instructions two ways, either in direct statements or in allegories (which are examples or parables, just as Jesus spoke). We all know that allegories are often easier to understand, and this is why Jesus used them so often to great outcome and understanding by those who listened.

This passage in the Qur'an warns that just because God gives an allegory, in order to help the listener to understand, does not mean that one should "take advantage" of it being an allegory to pour one's own skewed understanding into it. Those of pure mind, heart and faith listen to the allegory and comprehend its over all intention, but do not claim to understand all the details that God did not choose to put into direct statements instead of allegory.

For example, those who seek perversity would seize upon, say, the type of person who is being used in the allegory and say, "See! it only applies to someone like her." It would be like if you told a moral lesson about a man who went into a building and said this and that to a woman, if the person went away from your moral lesson thinking "Oh, that lesson only applies if it is a man talking to a woman. It does not apply if it is a woman talking to a man, or a woman talking to a woman, or a man talking to a man, or if the man talking to the woman is doing so outside the building, since it the allegory only mentioned a man talking to a woman in a building. So I can ignore this allegory if it is a man talking to many people over TV!" And so on and so on. Perverse people take the generosity of an allegory (or a parable) and seek to twist the choice of imagery used in the allegory in order to give themselves wiggle room or worse, interpretive "power" over "what God meant."

Oh boy do you see a lot of that in non institutional Christianity! This is one reason, as I've mentioned before, that Islam was given to the faithful in a very strict narrow and direct form to understand and obey. There are entire cottage industries of people who think they can state what God means, especially when God uses allegory. They should beware and be warned that this is risky, false and misleading to others.

This is why I quote this passage from the Qur'an for the benefit of Christians too, because while the Bible admonishes against the same general arrogance, it does not word it so susinctly as here in the Qur'an!

"Do Catholics read the Bible?" you think?

I did not want to interrupt the flow of thought in the previous blog about the Bible reading and commentary about a modern event, so I am going to use that Bible reading to make a separate point here. I am sooooooo tired of certain non-Catholic Christians who accuse the Catholics of “not reading the Bible.” While everyone can, and should, do better in their day to day Bible reading, you must understand that one reason many church going Catholics do not read the Bible more in their personal time is that there are three Bible readings a day in each Catholic Mass. I think it might be helpful to use the previous blog Bible reading as an example.

This Sunday’s Mass has the following as their three Bible readings, as listed in the commentary on Zenit that I linked to in the previous post:

The readings for this Sunday are Zechariah 9:9-10; Romans 8:9, 11-13; Matthew 11:25-30.

Now, in the previous post I copied from my “Daily Roman Missal,” which is the book used by Mass attending Catholics to follow the liturgy, the entry for Zechariah 9:9-10. So this is what the reader is reading and the parishioners are hearing:

From the Catholic Missal: First Reading
See, your king comes to you humbly.
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah

Thus says the Lord: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem. See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior’s bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Ok, so that is the first reading in the allegedly non Bible reading Catholic Mass. Now I’m going to flip to that passage in my New American Bible, right here on the desk by my left elbow.

Zechariah 9:9-10
Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion,
Shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you;
A just savior is he,
Meek, and riding on an ass,
On a colt, the foal of an ass.
He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The warrior’s bow shall be banished,
And he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.

Hmm, well, that sure looks like word for word a Bible reading to me. But wait, I own Protestant Bibles too, even though they leave out a number of “our” chapters. Let me make doubly sure that then thar Katolics are really reading the Bible. *Will now walk to the dining room cabinet where I have my Protestant Bibles.*

OK, I’m back. Here is my New King James version, which I bought because it is a small portable size and has a lovely fuchsia colored cover.

Zechariah 9: 9-10
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion!
Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you:
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
I will cut off the chariot from
Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;
The battle bow shall be cut off.
He shall speak peace of the
nations:
His dominion shall be from sea
to sea.
And from the River to the ends
of the earth.

Um, so what do you think? It looks like us Catholics are reading the Bible to me.